11 Years Before?
by Icemask12
Summary: What would happen if L and Light met 11 years before the Kira case, when L was 14 and Light was 6? Sugar induced oddities. Now AU.
1. That Morning

So the insanity begins!

EDIT: I've gone and spaced out the paragraphs on these past few chapters because I've gotten some feedback saying it's hard to read. I hope this makes it easier.

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**That Morning**

Sachiko had been sick. It had come on one of the worst possible days, one of his meetings with Roger. They'd called everyone they could, but there hadn't been anyone who wasn't busy that day, of all days.

Soichiro didn't take it too well, but grudgingly accepted it. It would be nice for the kids to see where he worked and what he did, even if they were too young to really appreciate it. He was, as anyone in his position would be, hesitant about taking a three year old and a six year old to work, but if worst came to worst he could always drive all the way downtown to drop the kids off at their aunt's.

He hoped it wouldn't come to that, not only would it be inconvenient, it'd be embarrassing. They'd left in a bit of a hurry that morning, taking only whatever clothes looked cleanest, so at least the kids wouldn't complain about wearing nice clothes all day.

They were too tired to talk much in the car, thank god, but the chattering began almost as soon as they'd pulled up to the building. Light's, at least, was understandable, Sayu was incomprehensible, or speaking too fast, either way she couldn't communicate effectively.

As Soichiro walked into the building with two small children in tow, the brown haired girl on his arm and the little boy hanging onto the back of his jacket and walking at varying speeds, he noticed he was getting a lot of funny looks. He'd been afraid of this. A security guard who looked like he'd taken the night shift and hadn't quite recovered came up to him "I'm sorry sir, but children are not allowed in the conference rooms." He intoned in a bored voice. Soichiro tried to explain the situation to him, that he had to bring his children in, but the security guard intoned that Soichiro would have to speak to his superior. He sighed; it was going to be a long day.

He'd argued up and down, but eventually he'd had to give in. He'd called a friend of Sachiko's with a daughter about Sayu's age, and she'd agreed to arrange a play date for the girls, even being so generous as to come and pick her up.

Not generous enough, however, to take care of his son too.

It was okay, he told himself as he walked down the hall, Light still hanging onto the back of his jacket like a life preserver, hadn't he wanted the kids to see what it was like where he worked? They're promised to send someone responsible to take care of Light…really; he had nothing to worry about. He knew most everyone here. It was high security, what could happen?

"_Everything."_

He thought to himself tiredly. But it was too late now to do anything, he had a meeting in a few minutes. He hurried down the hall to where he was supposed to meet the 'Responsible person' and slipped through a doorway. It was a little dark in the room he was in, and he fumbled for the switch. There was a voice behind him "Sorry I'm late, had to stop for coffee on the way down. So you're Soichiro, hm?"

The detective turned around abruptly (causing Light to swing and nearly hit the doorframe), flipping on the switch as he did so. It took him a moment to mask his shock. The boy before him couldn't be more than fifteen.

Holding a cup of coffee in one hand, the other in his pocket, the kid swallowed and nodded respectfully. "Hello. You can call me Ryuzaki. I was sent to take care of your-" He peered around Soichiro, catching sight of the little boy "-son." He frowned; he seemed to be expecting someone older.

"How old is he?" Asked the boy skeptically, taking another sip of coffee. Soichiro looked abashed "How old are you?" Ryuzaki didn't seem to mind that his question had been ignored, but looked thoughtful as he answered "Just turned fourteen. I'm only staying here a few weeks. Hm, But don't worry; I know my way around like the back of my hand."

It took Soichiro a moment to get his head wrapped around this idea. While he was regaining his speech, Ryuzaki smiled "I promise your son will be safe, sir. I'm doing this as a favor to your superior…" Soichiro nodded, still not liking the idea. But-he checked his watch, he had fifteen minutes to get to the conference room-fourteen year olds were pretty responsible, weren't they?

He'd ask someone at the meeting if he was really worried that Ryuzaki might not be trustworthy, but something told him to let it go. He nodded, standing up a little straighter, and pulled out a scrap of paper, scribbling something on it, handing it to Ryuzaki. "My cell-phone number. If anything happens, _anything_, no matter how minor, you call me, alright?" The wide-eyed boy across from him nodded, finishing the coffee and tossing the cup artfully into a nearby wastebasket.

"We'll stay in this area until you come back, if he gets tired there's a lobby with chairs…" Soichiro nodded-five minutes to go-and smiled as well as he could, trying to pry Light's fingers from his jacket. "He's a little clingy, only six, but he does talk…thank you very much, just stay in this area so I know where to find you."

He turned to Light and knelt, saying something softly but sternly, then gave him a quick hug and stood up, brushing himself off as he hurried down the hall. But as he slipped into the conference room, he remembered something he probably should have told Ryuzaki about Light's diet. _"But"_ He thought as he sat down in a leather chair and pulled out his briefcase _"what are the chances of Ryuzaki giving him sugar?"_

Light surveyed the older boy questioningly, tilting his head to either side every once in a while as if to get a new angle. Ryuzaki shifted, he wasn't very used to young children, not unfamiliar ones at least.

"So…Light, is it? I'm Ryuzaki. Would you like to see some of the things in the building?"


	2. Whiplash

_Author's Note: Real name spoiler warnings. Sorry, it's not very long but it took a while, I've been busy._

EDIT: I've gone and spaced out the paragraphs on these past few chapters because I've gotten some feedback saying it's hard to read. I hope this makes it easier.

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Ryuzaki had to admit it; the kid was starting to make him feel uneasy. Light had done nothing since his father left except stare at Ryuzaki owlishly, his eyes in danger of becoming suitable "Stooging" targets.

After a while, just to break the silence, Ryuzaki cleared his throat "So…is there anything in particular you'd like to do?" Light shrugged, shifting from one foot to the other. "M'kind of hungry." He mumbled quietly, more to himself than to the older boy. Ryuzaki smiled, food was definitely something he could relate to. "So you want to get something to eat?"

"I guess."

"What do you mean by that?"

Light seemed momentarily lost for words, and not knowing how to answer the question, he didn't, instead choosing to grab Ryuzaki's hand and make an attempt to pull him down the hall before turning and inquiring about the location of said food.

Ryuzaki sighed audibly, choosing to slip his hand out of Light's grasp and walk in front of him, not speaking. In a sort of mutual silence he eventually navigated them both to the small snack stand in the lobby. Ryuzaki knew who'd be behind the counter at nearly every shift, and greeted the woman, who's chipped green nametag read "Kyoko", with a rueful smile and a quick nod, then turned his attention to the wares behind him. He surveyed the shelves with an expression of growing reverence, but was jolted from his holy moment when there was a sharp tug at his shirt.

"I can't _see_. It's too tall."

Ryuzaki sighed, kneeling and holding out his arms. He meant to pick Light up by the waist, but instead the younger boy stepped onto one of his arms, grabbing Ryuzaki's hair and pulling him into a half-piggyback, causing his temporary babysitter to wince.

"Wow." Mouthed Light, his eyes getting seemingly impossibly wider. "What're we gonna get, Reekzi?"

"It's Ryuzaki. How about some chocolate?"

"I don't think I've had that before…" Light suddenly seemed nervous, adjusting his grip on Ryuzaki's hair as the older boy twisted around to look at him, his normally calm face shocked. "Never had chocolate before? That's terrible." He was silent for a moment, considering the horrors of a sweet-free world. It made him shudder to think of it. "We'll have to remedy that, won't we?" Light looked dubious "It doesn't look very good, Reezaki…"

"It tastes excellent, trust me. Reezaki…close enough, I guess."

"Okay, I trust you. I'll try it…" Ryuzaki nodded his approval, and to Light's amusement, purchased an enormous chocolate bar. This, of course, was a precaution on Ryuzaki's part. If Light turned out to like sweets as much as he did, then between them the chocolate would be demolished within the hour. Ryuzaki leaned to the side, letting Light slide off his arm, unwrapping the chocolate and breaking off a piece for the younger boy.

Half an hour later he knew why Light had never had chocolate.

As he was once again slammed into with the force of a small wildebeest, he briefly wondered how Light's parents had made the unpleasant discovery that their son couldn't have any form of sugar without going completely berserk.

He couldn't reflect on this long, however, trying to keep his face from becoming acquainted with the carpet every time Light launched a surprise attack was a more demanding task. It hadn't been noticeable at first; Ryuzaki had thought the tremors in Light's hands were from excitement.

Who wouldn't get excited from the taste of a good chocolate bar? Even the giggles had not tipped him off, all little kids giggled. In fact, he'd only become alarmed when the little boy had disappeared entirely, racing out the door without even turning around. Ryuzaki had followed him out into the hall, and in doing so, subjected himself to a half hour of unexpected battle training.

Because Light had made up a game he seemed to find endlessly amusing, he'd run into an open doorway and wait until Ryuzaki had turned around to look for him, and when the older boy's back was exposed, would run out and launch himself into the air, screaming something unintelligible (Although it sounded a bit like "I'm a wild dog!") as he careened into Ryuzaki's unprotected back (Ryuzaki now regretted not wearing plate armor).

The higher he could land, the more excited he was, and he seemed to be aiming for the older boy's slouched shoulders. On the whole, Ryuzaki considered himself a very tolerant person, but even he could only tolerate so much physical abuse from a sugar-crazed six-year-old.

So he found it perfectly justified to give the little twerp a bit of metaphorical whiplash.

He waited until Light had scrambled off him and disappeared again, then made sure to turn his back to where he thought Light and run off to. Just a few seconds later, as he heard the pounding of tiny footsteps and then the accompanying screech, he dropped to the ground. He heard a small, shrill cry of alarm and out of the top of his vision saw a blurred object fly over his head, and then heard a yell and accompanying "oomph!"

Making sure the aerial danger had passed, he looked up a little bit, and noticed Light had found something to cushion his fall. Something being a black-clothed, bewildered boy who could only be a few years away than Light himself, strands of his blonde hair now sticking up due to static electricity. At first he looked expressionless; the shock of having a six year old fly out of oblivion and land on your chest isn't something most people can get over in a few seconds. Then, abruptly, his face twisted into an enraged expression, he'd gotten over it sooner than 'most people'. "You stupid little-" He grabbed Light's shirt and raised an arm back, his hand forming a fist, like he was about to hit him.

Light only stared at him, wide-eyed, his mouth forming an expressionless 'o'. This made the blonde boy pause, lowering his fist slightly. He liked getting a reaction out of people. This gave Ryuzaki time to scramble upwards, pulling Light off Mello, and then to go to Mello's side, helping him up.

"You _don't_ hit people when they run into you, Mihael." He told the younger boy softly but sternly, looking into his eyes. Mello held eye contact for a minute, glaring, then looked away, back at Light. "It was his fault-" He was interrupted by the younger boy's sudden enquiry

"Are you a girl?"

Mello stopped for a minute, shocked, then, giving a feral yell that Ryuzaki had only previous heard at the zoo and on the nature channel, went for Light's throat.


	3. And a flash flood to go, please

A/N: Sorry for the ridiculously long delay. I keep getting distracted, and projects are looming over my head…O.o Also thank you to those of you who spotted the mistake in the last chapter. I don't have time to rewrite this entire thing so I decided to just make the story AU, and try not to call attention to the mistake anymore. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and even though it's a little longer than the others, so far it's my favorite, I hope you like it too.

Anyways, enjoy.

EDIT: I've gone and spaced out the paragraphs on these past few chapters because I've gotten some feedback saying it's hard to read. I hope this makes it easier.

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After Ryuzaki managed to pry Mello off Light (an exercise that took much effort and a few hits from both boys, leaving a myriad of stars around his vision for a few minutes), he decided to go back for the chocolate. He'd left it in the other room when he'd chased Light out into the hallway, and knew of Mello's strange addiction to it. So, what better way to keep the blonde boy under control than to ply him with pieces of chocolate?

Easier said than done.

Light resumed his game once Ryuzaki stood up again, and Mello caught on quickly, and seemed to like it as much as Light did.

So now he had two small animals attacking him from behind.

Maybe the chocolate was a bad idea. He changed course and headed for the third floor, on impulse.

He didn't want to use the "duck and cover" trick again (seeing as how well that worked out last time) but decided he needed a distraction. Badly.

Which prompted him to turn and say "Light-kun, Mello-kun, would you like some lunch?"

With the help of Ryuzaki's familiarity with the building, and how Mello and Light would go as fast as he did to catch him off guard, they were soon in a kitchen that made Ryuzaki's room look like…he racked his mind. Well, look bigger by comparison. It was a small, stereotypical office-style kitchenette, complete with half-empty coffee pot, dirty microwave, and mini-fridge with a wide array of unidentified (vaguely) edible substances. Hungry, Ryuzaki fished around in his pocket and pulled out a couple of sticky jellybeans, popping them into his mouth. They tasted several years old. He saw Mello eyeing Light's neat white shirt, and reaching stealthily for a can of tomato sauce lying unattended on the counter.

He popped a red jellybean into his mouth, for luck.

Ryuzaki unceremoniously removed the tomato sauce from Mello's possession, instead rummaging around in the fridge for something that

Looked vaguely edible,

Didn't have someone's name on it, and

Wasn't thirty years old

He was hard pressed to find something that fit the requirements (mentally adding "Something that wouldn't give them all food poisoning" to the list as he found a piece of chicken that looked like it had come from the depths of Hades himself shoved in the back). Finally, he managed to unearth a plastic Tupperware container of uncooked spaghetti. No expiration date on it, but could spaghetti expire?

Deciding there wasn't anything in the fridge that could be better than this spaghetti anyway, he turned and began getting out the necessary ingredients. Tomato sauces, cheese, a pot of water, brown sugar…wait, what was he making? Oh yeah. Spaghetti. No brown sugar, gosh darn it. He hummed to himself as he put the pot on to boil, forgetting for a few minutes about the pint-sized potential disasters behind him that were now warring with plastic cutlery.

He poured the spaghetti in the pot and set the timer. Behind him, Light narrowly dodged a spork-thrust aimed at his head, then straightened up and walked over to Ryuzaki, tugging on his shirt. "Can we go to the bathroom?" Ryuzaki nodded, the bathroom was only two doors down the hall. He turned to Mello "Don't touch the stove, and if the timer for twelve minutes beeps, call me okay? Don't touch it. I'll just be right over there, waiting outside the bathroom; you can reach me in five seconds, okay?" He pointed to the bathroom door, and Mello nodded seriously, turning to return into the kitchen and guard their lunch. Fighting down feelings of extreme hesitancy, he nodded to Light, then led him out into the hall and to the bathroom.

Ryuzaki leaned against the wall next to the bathroom door. The kid had been in there at least fifteen minutes, he'd already had to run back to Mello and turn the stove off, and he'd heard the toilet flush about three times already. Maybe Light had drowned in the toilet or something. He went and knocked on the door

"Buddy? You okay in there?"

"M'fine."

Ryuzaki frowned, wondering whether or not to go in. He'd give Light five more minutes, he decided. Three minutes later water was seeping under the door. Ryuzaki stepped back in surprise, then grabbed the doorknob and rattled it. Locked. A quiet, tentative voice came from inside "Reezaki?"

"Yeah, Light-kun, what're you doing in there?"

"I think I broke the toilet."

Ryuzaki ran a hand down through his hair, breathing heavily. If something was really broken, he'd be the one who'd have to pay for it, or he'd have to pay back Watari for paying for it. Trying to keep his voice calm, he knocked on the door again and asked "Well, could you let me in? Maybe I can fix it…"

There was a moment's pause, as if Light were debating how bad the situation was versus how much trouble he would get in if he let anyone in, but he must have decided the situation was bad enough that he needed assistance, because Ryuzaki heard a tiny click and a small splash.

He took a deep breath, and pulled opened the door, immediately getting hit in the face by a spurt of water. He sputtered, taking a few steps back and wiping his face on his shirt, then looked up. The left hand faucet spout was broken, water was shooting out like a fountain, and the top of the toilet had come off. There was a thin layer of water on the floor; the place looked like a sewer.

Sitting morosely on the toilet bowl with the lid closed, drenched from head to toe, Light played with the lace on his remaining shoe, the other one had disappeared to god-knows-where. He looked up when Ryuzaki came in, saw the look on his face, and decided it was better to get out of the way while Ryuzaki handled the flooding situation.

"What the hell happened?" Gasped Ryuzaki, trying to make his way over to the sink and trying to staunch the water flow. "I slipped, and I fell, and my foot got stuck in the toilet, and then I accidently flushed my shoe down, n' I tried to get it back but it didn't work and then I grabbed the sink an' the thing came off…" He stopped, pausing for breath "And then it went fwoosh!" He demonstrated by throwing his hands up in the air and puffing his cheeks up like a gopher.

Ryuzaki grabbed onto the sink, taking a roll of wet paper towels and unrolling them furiously, trying to shove them into the broken spout. He managed to stop the water from squirting directly in his face, but water was still coming out of the sides, just with less force. He too was now drenched, and he looked at Light incredulously. "All this happened…because you dropped your shoe in the toilet. How did that even-"

He was cut off by the abrupt explosion of water from the side of the faucet, and tried to hold it back with his hands. "Kid, I'm going to strangle you!" He sputtered, trying to cover the entire faucet-of which water was now coming out of other places, due to the pressure-with just his hands.

Deciding it was futile, he got down on his hands and knees and crawled under the sink, the pipes were clearly visible. Light watched solemnly as Ryuzaki twisted a wet, rusty metal handle around and the water flow came to an abrupt halt, then exhaled loudly and relaxed, laying under the sink for a second then pulling himself out to inspect the damage they'd done to the third floor bathroom.

It looked like there'd been a hurricane, scraps of dissolving paper towels littered the floor, which was uneven and hand nearly an inch of water in some places, maybe two. An air freshener drifted forlornly past, and the ceilings and walls were dripping, not to mention the light fixture, which flickered. "I'm going to have to call maintenance to get all this cleaned up…" Ryuzaki groaned, hauling himself up and looking at Light. "Look at yourself kid, you're soaked."

"You're wet too."

"Only because I had to clean up your mess."

Light shrugged as well as a six year old could, then hopped off the toilet, water splashing around his feet, and continuing to do so as he went over to Ryuzaki. "M' cold. Can we get new clothes?"

"Err…after lunch, okay? I'm a little worried about what Mello-kun's been doing in the kitchen…"


	4. The Game

A/N: GAH! *dodges rotten fruit and cowers behind screen* I'm sorry I took such a ridiculously long time to work on this but I couldn't get the right sort of inspiration because bad stuff kept happening whenever I tried to work on it and I got upset and it was hard to keep the "fun" mood…and I've got all my high school registration stuff to fill out, too, and final exams, and all this end-of-year crap… Geez. I had no idea what was going to happen when I started writing this chapter, so bear with me…I had to research some stuff XD

Enjoy

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Foresight, thought Ryuzaki, would probably be a good thing to develop.

He poked his head out the bathroom door, looked down the hall, and froze. Smoke was coming out of the open doorway of the kitchen. It smelled a bit like rotten eggs. He whipped around, knocking Light (who had been planning to surprise him) over, then picked him up, hurriedly choking out "Stay here!" before dashing into the hallway and down the hall, feeling a bit like an out of place obstacle course runner. Or maybe one of those reality shows where you had to complete tasks or you'd lose and suffer some sort of punishment, emotional or physical. And in his case, probably both. He stopped the train of useless thoughts and burst into the kitchen, grabbing the doorframe to keep his face from becoming too acquainted with the hard tile floor. It wasn't as bad as he'd expected. At least the entire kitchenette wasn't in flames. Mello, hearing him, turned around, a gleeful expression on his face. He was wearing two mismatched oven mitts, and a small pot adorned his head. "Hey! I didn't like the spaghetti, so I'm making us lunch!" Ryuzaki examined the mess on the stove and figured his definition of lunch had to be a little warped. Or maybe Mello had some sort of disorder and just couldn't smell it.

Something brown and burned beyond recognition fizzled around the sides of the pot Mello was using, and tomato sauce bubbled inside of it. There was a smashed egg on the ground, lying next to an empty carton, and Ryuzaki strongly suspected that the rest of the eggs had been added to the pot, of which most of the contents were undetectable. Sticking out of the mess like a great, corrupted iceberg was the Straight-from-the-Underworld-removed-from-Hades'-armpit chicken. Ryuzaki racked his memory, wondering vaguely if the chicken had been green _before_ Mello had tried to use it to cook. "Mello-kun?"He asked, sighing a little "What is that?" Mello looked at the pot, confused, like he wasn't quite sure what it was. He was silent for a moment before turning back up to Ryuzaki and replying solemnly with the air of a doctor diagnosing a dying patient "Well Ryuzaki, it appears to be a bad case of chocolate chicken."

So _that's _what the brown stuff was.

Ryuzaki stared at him, and Light poked his head around the doorway, wrinkling up his nose. "Eww. What's that nasty smell?"

"It's your _lunch_, pretty boy. And you better like it, because you're not getting anything else. And if you complain, I'll cook you too!" intoned Mello, waving a wooden ladle about threateningly.

"Pff! I'm not gonna eat _that_."

"You will! Tell him Ryuzaki!"

" Mello-kun…" Began Ryuzaki gently, not wanting to hurt the younger boy's feelings "I'm not quite sure how to say this, but this food doesn't look…." What could he say? _"Doesn't look fit for human consumption" _would be most accurate. "like…" He weighed his options of making it to the door before Mello could kick him in the crotch. Or cry. And then kick him in the crotch when he put his guard down. "…pizza!" He blurted out suddenly, on inspiration. The two younger boys brightened. _"Nice save by Ryuzaki." _He thought, silently congratulating himself.

No more than an hour, after putting out a near fire, disposing of the toxic waste on the stove, hiding from the janitors, directing a very confused pizza delivery man to the police headquarters and then proceeding to watch the boys in front of him devour the pizza before his eyes, Ryuzaki sat back contentedly, snacking on some chocolate cake he'd cleverly acquired from the snack shop on the way down to get the pizza and managed to keep safe from Mello (_"Believe it or not Mello-kun, you wouldn't like this cake, it's completely tasteless.") _For now, everything was under control. At least he got a day off from schoolwork, even if it wasn't much of a day off. He smiled, feeling smug, as if he'd completed a difficult case, even though he knew he'd done nothing of the sort. Ryuzaki and Light were nearly dry, so there wasn't really a reason to go all the way back to Ryuzaki's room and unpack (Although he'd been here for nearly three weeks, his suitcase was still half-full due to the fact that he didn't feel the need to wear new clothes every day). He started spacing out, thumb resting on his lower lip, when he was suddenly slammed unceremoniously back to Earth by the sound of his name

"Hey Mell, why does Reezaki sit like that?"

"It's _Mello, _not Mell, stupid. He sits like that because he's cool."

"Don't call me stupid." huffed Light indignantly "And that isn't a reason."

"Don't call each other names, please. And I sit like this because it helps me think." replied Ryuzaki complacently, now determinedly interested in the tabletop. For one wild, brief second, a thought flitted through his mind: _"Maybe if I ignore them, they won't fight." _

That was what Watari referred to as 'Hamster logic'

Thinking along the lines of _"Maybe if I close my eyes, the predator won't see me."_

Which was essentially as stupid as the thought that had died a second after it'd been born.

"Why do you call him Reezaki?"

"It's cooler than Ryuzaki. Obviously-"

"Wait…you can say my name?" frowned Ryuzaki, his fork sliding out of his mouth. "Why didn't you do it before?"

Light shrugged "I already said Reezaki was cooler."

Ryuzaki, thoroughly disconcerted due to this new development, merely shrugged it off and lay back in his chair a small amount and taking in the calming affects of the sugar, but looking a bit like it had put him into a semi-catatonic state. Still, the voices of the two boys penetrated his sugar haze.

"Anyway, why is your name Mello? That's a funny name."

"Light's a funny name."

"It doesn't seem that way to me."

"'Cause it's your name, duh!"

Light frowned, then shrugged it off. Ryuzaki wondered vaguely if he was suffering a crash from his sugar high. Would that be too much to ask?

"Hey Mell, you know what?"

"What? Don't say something stupid!"

"I'm not…anyway, have you ever been around this building?"

"Yeah…"

"I mean outside…"

"…."

"I can give you a tour, come-on-before-Reezaki-finds-us!"

Ryuzaki leapt out of his chair and made a grab for Light's shoulder, but his awkward sitting position caused him to bang his head on the table, and before he could say "Come back here or no chocolate for a month," Light had grabbed Mello's hand and high-tailed it out of the room. Ryuzaki pushed himself up but slid down again on something wet, and looked at his hand irritably.

Oh.

Apparently he'd hit his head harder than he thought, because blood covered his fingers, and he could feel more swelling beneath his hairline. He tried to get up again, but the world went out of focus, and the ground seemed inviting, indeed, it rose up to meet him…

……….

Funny, he felt woozy, and his head felt like it had been trampled on a herd of buffalo. He was also very thirsty, and had a headache. He reached up and started to feel his head, then winced, it was achy and caked with blood. The right side of his face was also sticky with drying blood, more adorned his shirt and spread out on the linoleum floor. He got up into a half-sitting position supported by the table leg, then pulled himself up, stumbling over to the faucet and, not finding a cup, proceeded to stick his entire head under. He hissed in pain as the water did its work, but didn't move, and some of the caked blood ran down the sides of his face, but as he'd been bloody there anyway it just helped to clean him. In actuality the cut was very small, but his head had swollen more than he thought was necessary. He tilted his head to the side and opened his mouth to catch some water. It tasted funny, but it was still cool, and it made him feel a little better immediately.

That damn Yagami kid…

Ryuzaki's eyes snapped open

That _damn stupid_ Light-kun, and Mello too…

Running out the door while Ryuzaki banged his head on the table.

In horror, Ryuzaki wrenched himself out from underneath the cooling stream of water and looked at the clock.

It was three in the afternoon

Light and Mello had legged it at one

They'd been on their own for _two hours_

Ryuzaki ran out of the room without so much as a backward glance, knowing without consciously thinking that if anything happened, he might as well start digging his own grave here and now.

_Outside the Building_

Nowhere. Not to be seen, at all, no two boys, blonde and brunette, were to be found in all of Tokyo.

Or at least in this building.

Because he'd grilled every cop, executive and janitor he could find an given them a description of Light and Mello as best as he could remember, and the only thing he'd found out was that one of the janitors had seen two boys matching Light and Mello's description leaving the building.

Accompanied by a man he didn't recognize.

And so Ryuzaki sat on the curb, shell-shocked, because Tokyo was a big city and he had no idea where to start looking.

But he sat up, because he'd lost two young boys in his care, and anything could happen in a city this big…they could be hurt, or murdered, even-

On second thought he didn't want to think about it

"So, think of this as a practice case" He muttered to himself, trying not to panic "Two children missing, both under age ten (that gave him a broad spectrum, he couldn't recall exactly how old they were…), accompanied…by a man a janitor didn't recognize, so he probably wasn't in uniform. But it could be someone else, right?"

He didn't exactly have high hopes

He tried not to think about every horrible situation they could be in, and decided to do what he did in every other case, what Watari instructed him to do. He went inside and got his laptop. Although it didn't seem very heroic, it was the only thing he could think of to do next. It would be easy work to hack into the security cameras.

Ten minutes later, he wasn't feeling so good at all.

The security tapes all showed the same thing, from different angles: a surprised looking Light and an angry looking Mello being escorted out of the building, and a man in what looked like all black (he was having a difficult time getting all the angles right) and bowler hat was holding both their hands. To Ryuzaki's frustration, the man seemed to know where the cameras were, and was making sure his face wasn't shown. Hell, he couldn't even see the guy's hair color. But what made him almost laugh, hysterically, was that Mello was still holding a bar of chocolate with an unidentified origin in his hands.

You couldn't keep that kid from his chocolate.

But what'd made his heart stop (figuratively, of course) was that he'd found the bowler cap outside while investigating the surrounding area, and the small piece of paper tucked into the rim had been enough to make his blood freeze, the very words looked threatening, but at the same time he'd been aroused by it, eager to take the challenge. He looked at the note again:

"_The game is on."_

Oh, it was on alright.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Oh gosh, did the plot bunny just lay an egg? I bet you didn't see that coming!

Sorry if I ruined your fun with the whole "Hey-it's-so-fun-here." With the whole "HOMYFRACKINGOSHTHEYJUSTGOTKIDNAPPED!!11ONE!!" vibe. But really, I know I was getting tired of Light and Mello making various messes, and of Ryuzaki just trying to clean up after them. And I never said this was a comedy story, now did I?

Oooh, what's going to happen to our little heroes?

Your only hope is that I'm a softie. Oh, and if I weren't me I'd totally hate myself right now for leaving me in the dark (wait, what?!) Anyway, please rate and review, feel free to give suggestions for the story, advice, criticism, anything (except flames, please. If you have a problem please tell me in a polite manner)…I just want some feedback, how'd you like this little twist? So, I will work on the next chapter as soon as I can, and remember, reviews motivate me! If I don't get any I assume nobody cares enough for me to write the next chapter XD

Anyway, I hope you all liked it, and I'll try my dandiest to make you all happy!

-Icemask12


	5. It's Mello's Fault!

A/N: Haha, silly me. I was going to wait until I got more reviews to post, but you know me, I love you all sooo much I couldn't wait another second.

Actually, I had to study for finals, sorry. I love you guys, but you won't see any more fanfiction from me anyway if I fail.

So, without further adieu, enjoy!

-------

Ryuzaki walked determinedly out of the elevator. He didn't have any help here, and even help from a kid was better than no help at all. He went down the hall of the fourth floor, counting the rooms on the even numbered side of the hall.

"_312, 314, 316…here we are, 318…"_

He knocked on the door, and only had to wait a second before a voice called out from inside "Come in!"

Ryuzaki stepped inside, looking around the room. It was a little smaller than his, and plain. Bunk beds with plain white sheets were pushed against the off-white wall, with empty chocolate wrappers adorning the top bunk, and small colored plastic squares scattered across the bottom one. In the other corner of the room, there was a cheap wooden desk with a laptop on it, where a young boy was typing away, occasionally slamming his fist down on the keyboard overenthusiastically.

Ryuzaki frowned "Matt-kun, I thought you were in trouble. Didn't they put a pass code on there so that you couldn't get on until the allotted punishment had been completed?"

The redheaded boy shrugged, not turning around "It wasn't that hard to break. Their idea of a pass code is your name. Honestly." He snorted derisively, and then spun around in the swivel chair. "So, Ryuzaki, what's up? Mello went to go get you. Did he get distracted by the chocolate again?"

"Matt-kun, I'm sorry…"

"Sorry about what? Did he kick Wammy again? I told him he shouldn't-"

"Matt-kun, listen-"

"But he went and did it anyway, and I don't want to get in trouble-"

"Matt!" Ryuzaki dropped the honorifics abruptly, and the Matt turned in surprise. He saw the expression on Ryuzaki's face, frustrated, but it gave way to a sadness that scared the younger boy in a way he couldn't describe. Slowly, he slid out of his chair, letting his feet hit the ground with a dull thud, and padded over to Ryuzaki, only wearing socks.

Ryuzaki sighed and sat down on the bottom bunk, pulling his knees up to his chest like he normally did, and brushed the cover hanging off the top bunk out of his face, only to be showered with a small festival of brightly colored wrappers. He picked one up with only two fingers, looking like he was checking it for anthrax, and then, giving a soft, bitter laugh, carefully folded it and put it in his pocket. Matt watched the display in silence, then, slowly, a hand, followed by black and white striped sleeved arm, reached out and patted the older boy on the back. Ryuzaki looked away, and Matt frowned, then suddenly, he felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.

Ryuzaki's thin shoulders were shuddering violently, and he gave a dry gasp.

"Are you crying?"

"…Yes…I think…" Ryuzaki felt his face for tears, but it was dry. He did not shed tears when he cried, instead he was experiencing great, body-racking sobs that elicited more pity then if he had actually cried normally.

"_I am…such a failure."_

"Ryuzaki, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

"Matt-kun…I'm so sorry."

"For what? I promise not to be mad…really…" There was a desperate undertone in the younger boy's normally cheerful voice.

Ryuzaki looked back at Matt, who could have sworn he saw the hint of a smile there. "So brave, Matt-kun. Please let me explain…"

----------

"But I haven't even _worked_ on any cases yet, Ryuzaki!" gasped Matt as they hurtled down the steps, equipment in tow.

"Well, that's about to change, isn't it? You're the only help I have, Matt-kun. Think of it as a computer game. Find the hidden objects. You're good at that one, aren't you?"

"Yeah…but it tells you what you're supposed to find! 'Find a flashlight' or a puzzle piece-"

"Well, then that's too easy for you anyway. Think of this as an extra hard puzzle, where you have to find anything that looks remotely suspicious."

Matt huffed, annoyed, "How are we supposed to know if anything is suspicious?"

Ryuzaki's eyes flashed with an uncharacteristic determination as he finally reached his destination, then skillfully kicked the door open and ran through holding his laptop, then stuck a foot out to hold the door open for Matt "The kidnapper, whoever he is, deliberately left a note-not a ransom note, but a note as a clue, just to let us know he had them-and that suggests that since he thinks of it as a 'game,' there might be other clues purposely left around. We're supposed to be following a trail."

He sped up, until he was practically running down the hall, and Matt had to all-out sprint to keep up with him, too out of breath to protest. It was a very odd scene, a teenager and his tiny redheaded accomplice hurtling down a police station hall carrying everything from laptops to fingerprint analyzers, wires and plugs flying out behind them like dark electrical banners. Very strange, not to mention their clothes and appearances. Matt had squarely refused to go without his goggles, even though they were big enough that they kept sliding down his face as he was running. Finally, they reached the room Ryuzaki was looking for, and he shifted the equipment to one hand, and dug around in one of his long pockets with the other. He stood hunched over for a moment like that, digging, when Matt caught his breath again.

"Isn't it a bad thing to follow a trail a bad guy leaves out?"

"In movies, yes, perhaps in real life too sometimes, but real life 'bad guys' are nothing like those in movies, books, and games…this one obviously wants something, so for now we'll play along."

Matt thought about this for a moment, still only partially got it, and shook his head in defeat.

Ryuzaki's face flashed a brief expression of triumph as he pulled out a room key, and he slid it swiftly in and out of the door before a light on the handle flashed green, and he twisted it and pushed it roughly open, practically falling into the dark room. He heard footsteps behind him and then felt a bump, accompanied by a small "oomph!" and Matt pushed his way past him. Ryuzaki flicked on the light, which flickered unsteadily for a moment or two before growing to full power, then located an empty desk, and started setting up the plethora of equipment, more than most teenagers, hell, most adults, had ever seen in their lifetimes.

Matt stared in awe "Ryuzaki…"

"Yes?"

"Is this your _room?_" Matt demanded, spinning around so fast he was in danger of getting dizzy and falling over. The room was covered wall to wall in screens and monitors, which covered the cement gray surface nicely. Wires lay strewn haphazardly across the floor, and Matt tripped over a few before cautiously making his way to the older boy.

"My room? Do you see a bed, Matt-kun?"

"I thought you didn't sleep…"

Ryuzaki snorted derisively, feeling impatient "Just because I'm an insomniac doesn't mean I _never _sleep. What am I, a vampire? Our bodies still need some sleep to function…did Mello-kun tell you that?" It took him a second to regain composure after letting Mello's name slip like that, but then he chided himself internally: _"You'll never solve _any_ cases if you can't say the victim's name without choking up."_

"_I hate thinking of Light-kun and Mello-kun as the _victims."

"Er…he might've?"

"Figures. But no, this is technically not my room, just my study area."

Matt nodded in understanding, tapping a keyboard with one finger and asking "So, what will we be studying?"

"I think you know the answer to that already, Matt-kun.

------

Sure he'd needed help, but did Ryuzaki _really_ need to bring another kid into this?

"_Yes_," He answered himself silently _"Yes, he shortsightedly did." _

Matt didn't really mean to be a bother, but he asked a question every two minutes, and after only about twenty minutes got bored and pulled out a handheld game console. Ryuzaki watched him blow up aliens for a minute, and in exasperation, turned back to the computer screen.

"Dang it! This stupid game keeps turning off…"

There was the sound of a handheld console being banged against an office chair.

"Hey! It worked! It's back on now!"

Ryuzaki smiled inwardly, the game was back on after all that?

The game was on.

The game.

As in a video game?

Ryuzaki turned more abruptly than he'd meant to, causing Matt to drop his console again.

"Now look what you made me do!"

"Never mind that, Matt-kun. Tell me, how would you like to buy a new game?

-------

"This is dumb. What are we going to find, a trapdoor?"

"You know for a kid, you sure are…forward, to say the least."

"Damn right."

"Language, Matt-kun."

"Sorry…it was Mello's fault!"

"Isn't it always?"

A truer word had never been spoken.

Or, maybe it had, but that was beside the point.

-----

Footsteps echoed down the long tunnel, the white tiles had long disappeared under a layer of grime, a mixture of dirt, smoke from the world above, and dirty water running relentlessly down the walls, doing nothing to clean them, only leaving trails of black mold.

The platform of the train had long been abandoned, not even the homeless came. This was partially because there was no one there who could tip them, and also because the place was believed to be haunted.

It said a lot about a place when it wasn't good enough for homeless people.

But now, for the first time in ages, footsteps were heard, as three figures walked across the platform.

"This place is creepy." Mello muttered, keeping his eyes towards the ground "I want to go _home_ now. I want chocolate. I don't _wanna_ go down there!" his voice suddenly rose in pitch as he looked up and saw the darkened tunnel through which the train had once traveled.

The only response from his captor was a tug on his wrist, silently asking him to go faster.

Mello turned to Light, who was looking sullen, and frowned, trying to convey his frustration. Light, who'd decided that clearing up his confusion was more important that eliciting a response from the person in front of him, suddenly stopped walking, and asked

"Hey, Reezaki, why are we going down here?"

"Because we have to. Come along. Please be quiet, we can't attract unnecessary attention."

"But Reezaki!" angry at being snubbed, Light took a few steps backwards, causing the older boy holding his hand to lose his balance and let go of Mello, who quickly took a few steps back from the other two. He'd been in enough scraps to know when one was inevitable.

'Reezaki' turned around and glared at Light, who sucked in air as he noticed an unfamiliar bloodlike glimmer in the older boy's eyes.

"Hey…you aren't-" he tried to back away, but the boy grabbed his arm, pulling him forward. He yelped and fell backward at the same time that Mello let out an indignant cry, running forward and punching Ryuzaki's impersonator in the stomach. "Stop it! Stop being so mean!"

The older boy looked at them apathetically "Mello-kun shouldn't play so close to the train tracks, and Light-kun shouldn't purposefully fall." He pulled Light up, maintaining his hold on the younger boy's arm, and held out a hand for Mello.

Mello ignored the hand and walked past them both, muttering "Who are you anyway?"

"I am the real Ryuzaki."

Light winced, rubbing his arm "I like the other one better."

The 'real' Ryuzaki was about to reply with a sharp retort when suddenly he heard a voice

"Hey! This place is off-limits! You kids can't screw around down here!" A heavyset man in a worker's uniform and sporting a large brown mustache that threatened to take over his face was coming down the stairs, looking around. He didn't seem to have spotted them yet.

"Don't think you can get away! I can hear you! Now come on before I call your parents!"

B snorted. Well, that was an empty threat. Light turned toward the man coming toward them, but B tightened his grip on the younger boy's arm and moved across the platform, near the wall, until the three boys were on the very edge of the platform.

Mello had seen the man too, and not let on, and knew if he could get to the worker, it would be okay. He could go back for Light later.

Mello waited until B had turned around to say something to Light before making a break for it. B's head whipped around as he saw the small blonde haired kid run out from in front of him. B made a grab and missed, but suddenly part of the platform gave way altogether.

The ground cracked, and the water which had been eroding the walls and ceiling and support beams so long finally showed what damage it could do over time. Mello's foot went through the floor before Light could even process what was happening, and B's face twisted into a mask of horror, eyes wide as he relinquished his hold on Light's arm and ran forward to grab Mello, to keep him from going down.

"_Damn it damn it damn it! I told him we shouldn't have taken this way!"_

Mello whimpered, his entire left leg was stuck in a hole, and his right leg was going down under the pressure. B was holding the back of his shirt, but that wasn't enough to pull him out. Bits of cement cracked off and fell, and there was dust in the air. A pale hand reached out, and a forced calm voice asked "Mello-kun, could you please grab my other arm?"

From seemingly far away, they heard hacking coughs and the worker shout "I'm calling the police! You stupid teenagers have about three seconds to get out here!" The worker didn't think he'd have to deal with any kids today, but he should have known, teenagers were always daring each other to do stupid things.

Mello grabbed B's arm and clung to it like a lifeline.

------

A/N: Yay! It's summer break! And I'm kind of technically a High Schooler! *not sure whether to be happy or sad* well, this chapter is sort of a break in between things, I just needed to be able to get Matt in there and get the characters places. And why is BB so nice? (comparatively, at least) you'll find out later guess.

Oh, and I got all A's on my finals (a 100 in English!), except for French, where I got a B. But the highest grade in that class anyway was a 90, so I didn't do too bad XD so luckily this means I will remain on fanfiction and hopefully have more time to write.

The next chapter involves Mello and Light knowing more about girls than B, Ryuzaki having problems getting Matt to be quiet, and more funny hats!

Please review! I'll post again ASAP!


	6. Battle of the Cheesy Pickup Lines

A/N: So, I'm back! Yep, I really hope this chapter will be better than the others XD

So I got home from the Oral Surgeon the other day (had to get a few stubborn teeth pulled, it didn't hurt at the time but I could feel it…and the Novocain injection. Ugh.) And now that something interesting has actually happened to me (if you consider having gauze shoved in your mouth to keep you from choking on your own saliva/blood mix that your numb mouth can't feel interesting) I'm back in storyteller mode. Maybe one day I will actually give a record of the random thoughts that flew through my head while I was on the laughing gas. Probably not. Nobody I can think of really wants to hear about what dentistry medicine can pull out of my subconscious (I am really afraid of it myself).

Now that I think about it, I just did tell pretty much what happened. I hope I've kept you vaguely entertained for the last thirty seconds. I hope this chapter will keep you entertained for a marginally longer amount of time.

Enjoy!

---------

As it turned out, kidnapping two small children was _way_ harder than B expected.

For one thing, there was absolutely no way to keep them occupied for long periods of time, and they complained about walking so much.

For another thing, there was the _incessant chatter_.

"-and then she made me sit in the corner for hitting my sister, even though she deserved it-"

"-all my chocolate was gone! Gone! And Roger believed him instead of me-"

"-because she'd hit me first, but mom likes her better-"

"-Matt said I'd eaten it all-"

"-mom always makes _me_ have time out instead of her because she's a crybaby-"

"-when really I'd only eaten half-"

"_Will you please both be quiet!"_ yelled B suddenly, unable to take it anymore, at least not without heavy painkillers for the headache he was getting.

The boys were silent for all of two seconds, and then "Yeah, I like the other Reezaki better. This one's too loud."

B was about to open his mouth and respond, when his cell phone rang. He sighed, grateful for the distraction.

About five minutes later, he wished the phone hadn't rung at all. Or, that it had rung with better news.

"No. He nearly went _through_ the platform. And you want me to wait here?" asked B incredulously, gripping the cell phone. "Are you insane? I can't handle children! You should-" he paused, cut off, and listened to the person on the other end for a few minutes before sighing and running his fingers through his hair in exasperation. "Fine. But no more, no less, okay?"

--------

"Matt, you've got to stop that."

"Stop what?" asked the younger boy, the epitome of innocence.

"You've got to stop trying to steal things. Really."

"What if I told them, that you said I could have all the games I want-"

"No."

The search at the video game store was extremely aggravating, and proving fruitless. It didn't help that Matt had a habit of singing loudly when he was bored, and had tried multiple times to purloin games from an unobtrusive rack, where they might not be missed as easily. Ryuzaki was getting panicky again, because a thought had just crossed his mind.

What the hell was he going to say to Light's father?

The piece of paper Soichiro Yagami's phone number was on seemed to weigh a hell of a lot more now, as if mockingly saying _'he's gonna punch your lights out!'_

Ryuzaki sighed, and deciding there was nothing else for it, went up to the counter to ask the gangly teenager behind it if he'd seen anyone matching Light and Mello's description come in.

"Hello-" he peered at the nametag "-Matsuda-san?"

"Oh!" the young man looked at him for a second, smiling, before suddenly smacking himself on the forehead as if he'd forgotten something "Hey, I remember you!"

"Oh, well good-wait, you remember me from where?" Ryuzaki frowned, certain he'd never seen the older boy before in his life.

"From here! Just a little while ago, when you reserved a game! No offense, but you're not easy to forget. Let me go get it, 'kay?" the smiling young man disappeared behind a shelf in the back.

Although part of Ryuzaki's conscience told him it would be rude to take somebody's game just because the clerk thought he was somebody else, the rest of it squashed the notion with a great, resounding, _'shut up!'_

So he waited patiently for the man to come back.

----------

"I cannot _believe_ you want ice cream at a time like this. And Mello-kun, I'm starting to doubt your' so called 'chocolate deficiency.'" B spat wearily, watching the two younger boys. He figured he might as well keep them happy, or at least content not to run screaming down the sidewalk, if all he could do was wait.

Light shrugged, licking his cone "Trust me, if he doesn't get his chocolate he'll go awful."

"You're one to talk, _wild dog_," snorted Mello derisively, noisily slurping the half-melted contents of the chocolate ice cream he'd waited too long to eat.

B tuned out the conversation, watching the people passing on the street. They were at a small café, anything to keep out of the heat. A young, pretty waitress came over; tossing her blond hair fitfully "This heat is awful! But papa pays me extra to work in the heat." She giggled, looking at Light and Mello, her expression hardening ever so slightly as she turned to B "Is there anything Misa Misa can get you?"

Feeling hot and stupid, B grinned "If you pay for lunch, I'll buy you dinner."

And the battle of cheesy pick up lines began.

Misa gave him a withering glare, then turned her attention to the younger boys, the glare melting off her face like butter, to be replaced with an expression that one might have while cooing over a puppy. "I can get something for you! You guys are so cute!"

Encouraged by B, Mello grinned "You know, you're really hot…"

"Um…excuse me?" Misa frowned, unused to being hit on by someone so young.

"You're doing it all wrong!" snorted Light "Let me try!" he looked up at the girl with a sort of reverence, and announced "Your eyes are sparkly. Like diamonds." He added as an afterthought.

"You're really hot." Mello repeated, unsure of what else to do.

B glared at the two younger boys, if anyone should be good with pick up lines, it was B himself. Hell, he was the only one who could even be considered a teenager! Not wanting to be outdone, he turned to Misa and intoned innocently "Hi. I suffer from amnesia. Do I come here often?"

"You creep!" Misa gasped, slightly breathless.

"If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together!" declared Light triumphantly, but he seemed to be directing a challenge at B and Mello rather than actually talking to Misa.

Mello grinned "Oh, you're on. Misa, was your father an alien?"

Misa blinked, wondering whether or not she would be justified in calling out said father, preferably carrying pepper spray and his favorite Louisville Slugger.

"'Cause there's nothing else like you on Earth!"

B frowned "How do you know these?" he asked the two younger boys incredulously.

"T.V." Light shrugged indifferently "and sometimes my dad's friends."

"The other Ryuzaki, actually." Mello grinned.

"Wait, really? I can't see him using those…"

"He does. And he's awful at it."

"Oh, okay. Anyway, your legs must be tired because you've been running through my mind all night!" Light said suddenly, abruptly reminding the others of their undeclared contest and shifting the attention back to Misa.

"Your eyes are blue, like the ocean, and I feel like I'm lost at sea." B proclaimed vehemently.

"Your creepy face makes Misa want to vomit!"

"If you were a laser-" Mello paused to slurp his ice cream, then continued "-you'd be set on 'stunning.'"

"If little kids like you would just act their age, the world would be a much happier place!" Misa spat back. But the pickup lines were coming faster and faster, cutting across each other, and soon all she could do was just watch as the three boys battled it out.

"-Speak of the devil…or should I say angel?-"

"-You must be a magnet, because I feel very attracted to you!-"

"-My lips are skittles, wanna taste the rainbow?-"

"-Oh, we've met before, remember that dream you had about the perfect man? I was the guy standing to the right-"

It was so pitiful Misa choked back a sob.

--------

Ryuzaki's eyes lit up as Matsuda came back holding a box about the size of a small television, and smiling, handed it to him.

"Here, Ryuzaki-san! I need to ask for your receipt…" the man smiled.

Ryuzaki made a show of digging deep into his pockets before widening his eyes in mock surprise, and turning apologetically to Matsuda, his voice taking on an apologetic tone "Oh…I'm sorry, I seem to have lost it. I will have to come back another time…" he glanced wistfully at the box, and out of the corner of his eye, saw Matsuda's face twist in pity. It was working. He silently thanked Watari for years of training in acting skills.

"Actually Ryuzaki-san, I guess I don't need a receipt. I mean, like I said, I couldn't forget your face if I tried!" Matsuda laughed somewhat nervously, running his hand through his hair and grinning sheepishly.

"Oh, but let me show you some ID…" Ryuzaki took a card out of his pocket bearing his face and pseudonym (you can't exactly go around introducing yourself as L), then flashed it in Matsuda's direction before putting it back in his pocket.

This seemed to suffice. Clearly, the gods had blessed him with an idiot of a clerk.

"Well, thank you Ryuzaki-san, and come again!"

"I most certainly will Matsuda-san, as long as I am in the company of Matt-kun here." Ryuzaki chuckled, steering the redhead in question towards the door (the younger boy's face was buried in yet another console game).

-----------

Once they had retreated to the safety of the makeshift office (where Ryuzaki rubbed his knees and wished, not for the first time, that he could drive rather than having to walk everywhere) Ryuzaki took it upon himself to open the box. It was white and unmarked other than a serial code number scribbled in sharpie on the side, and clean white tape over the front.

Taking a deep breath, he tore off the tape (it took quite a bit of effort, why did they always have to wrap these things up like they were precious metals?) and used both hands to pull open the flaps of the box.

What. The. Hell?

Matt tried climbing onto the table "Ryuzaki, I can't _see!"_

Ryuzaki ignored him, staring blankly at the box. Because whatever he'd been expecting, it hadn't been that.

_Party hats?! _

The red one on top had a B emblazoned on the side. Ryuzaki frowned, what was the little creep doing here? Sure, he'd always been a little off…was this his idea of a joke? Matt picked up the party hat and crammed it onto his head, where it clashed horribly with his hair.

"Look, L!"

"It's Ryuzaki."

"Look, Ryuzaki! I'm a clown!" Matt grinned and pinched his nose, as if it was one of the red squeaky ones that clowns wore. Ryuzaki shuddered visibly "Please don't say that, Matt-kun. Clowns are horrible, horrible creatures."

"Pff! You just-" Matt paused as a slip of paper slid out of the party hat, past his face, before fluttering to the floor. "Hey, look Ryuzaki!"

The other boy had already made a grab for the paper, and he held it up to the light, delicately pinched between his two forefingers as if it was a deadly disease.

"_L,_

_You're taking too long. I'm bored. Have fun shopping for hats…I like the pink ones._

_B."_

Ryuzaki snorted "Okay, so I guess this is his idea of a joke. Maybe we should call Watari?"

Matt reached up and slid the paper out of Ryuzaki's hands, bringing it down to his eye level. He lifted his goggles onto his forehead to allow his eyes to briefly scan the paper, then handed it back to Ryuzaki, shrugging. "He wanted us to buy a game before. So I guess this time he wants us to buy a pink hat?"

"Presumably, and I honestly don't see any other way than to follow this stupid game. But there are tons of hat stores around Tokyo…" Ryuzaki frowned, and then dug through the box. It was mostly filled with Styrofoam peanuts, but after a bit of digging they recovered a total of three party hats. Cheap, cardboard cones that Ryuzaki set up on the table to examine.

"Each one is a different brand, looks like."

"Ryuzaki, why's the bottom on this one ripped?"

Ryuzaki frowned "The bottom's ripped? Where?"

"Like, right around the edge here…hey, this one's ripped too!" Matt exclaimed, promptly dropping the hat he was holding in favor of a new one. "And look, this third one…" he spun the hat around, looking on the inside "…isn't ripped. What does that mean?"

Ryuzaki shrugged "If they're all different brands, maybe that's the shop we go to. I don't know, I still think this game has reached a new level in stupidity."

"Well, do you have any better ideas?"

Admittedly, he didn't.

-----------------------

A/N: Hey thar! Sorry I couldn't post this yesterday; right as I was going to the electricity randomly went out in my neighborhood. (No thunder or anything…spooky!) I've also been taking quite a few leaps of faith on what I put into this story, hope you guys don't mind.

By the way, I've set up a poll on my profile page asking which pairings you guys want to see in a story. I've got over twenty listed, and you can choose four, and whichever pairing gets the most votes is the pairing I'll write a fanfiction about. The good news is since I'm not a very well known fictor, you probably have a chance to get the pairing you want if you vote XD

I hope you liked this chapter, please review!

-Icemask12


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